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Cultures of Resistance Short Films

Cultures of Resistance Films has produced more than fifty short films on a variety of subjects, highlighting issues from indigenous rights in the Amazon to political cartoons in the Congo. The full list of short films, along with descriptions, is below.

For the Cultures of Resistance Snapshots DVD, a compilation of thirteen selected shorts, click here.

For the Resistance Artists series, a collection of nine artist profiles, click here.

Short Films:

The Kalasha and the Crescent (2013) examines the challenges faced by the Kalash people of northern Pakistan, who are struggling to retain their cultural identity under the combined pressures of poverty, tourism, and religious tension. In May 2013, director Iara Lee traveled to the Chitral valley to document the Kalash spring festival, Joshi. The Kalasha and the Crescent uses the festival as an entry point into this vibrant community and the tough questions facing it. What does conversion to Islam—whether forced or spontaneous—mean for Kalash identity? Can Kalash traditions withstand the challenges brought by globalization on the one hand and by religious tensions on the other? Join members of the Kalash community and observers from around the world as they reckon with these questions. 12 minutes.

Muslimgauze: Chasing the Shadow of Bryn Jones (2013) features a trailer created by Cultures of Resistance Films to preview author Ibrahim Khider's new book, which celebrates the artist’s politically motivated craft. 4 minutes.

Israeli Attack on the Mavi Marmara (2011) features raw footage of the May 31, 2010, attack by Israeli naval forces on ships bringing humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. 1 hour.

Iara Lee's UN Press Conference (2011) shows the opening statement and highlights from CoR Director Iara Lee's June 2010 press conference at the United Nations in New York, during which she presented the raw footage of the Mavi Marmara attack. 13 minutes.

CoR Director Iara Lee Testifies to the UN on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla (2011) includes excerpts of footage from the attack on the Mavi Marmara and of Iara Lee's testimony at the United Nations on June 10, 2010. Despite the Israeli government’s efforts to confiscate all footage taken during the attack, Lee and CoR Director of Photography Srdjan Stojiljkovic were able to retain some of the video they captured. 3 minutes.

Israeli Attack on the Mavi Marmara - May 31, 2010 (2011) shows raw footage from the May 31, 2010 attack. Showing a terrifying disregard for human life, Israeli naval forces surrounded and boarded ships sailing to bring humanitarian aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip. On the largest ship, the Mavi Marmara, Israeli commandos opened fire on civilian passengers, killing at least 9 passengers and wounding dozens more. Despite the Israeli government’s thorough efforts to confiscate all footage taken during the attack, Iara Lee and director of photography Srdjan Stojilijkovic were able to retain some of her recordings. 15 minutes.

The Rape of the Samburu Women (2011) illuminates the situation facing women in the Samburu region of Kenya, where England has maintained military training facilities for more than fifty years. During this period, women in the area have faced an epidemic of rape. This film visits the brave women of Senchen, who speak candidly about their suffering and talk passionately about their demands for justice. 12 minutes.

Opposing Violence Towards Iran (2011) features interviews with a number of Iranian artists who recalled their people's history of suffering from foreign intervention and who demonstrate their commitment to peace. 5 minutes.

Americas Social Forum (2011) documents the 2008 Americas Social Forum in Guatemala, where over 7,000 delegates from 350 organizations gathered to discuss how to bring about a more democratic, equitable, and just world. 4 minutes.

MV Bill: Peace to the Favelas (Brazil) (2011) documents the work of hip-hop artist MV Bill, who calls out Rio's heavy-handed approach to policing the favelas and promotes a more human alternative: engaging youth in the arts. 3 minutes.

Papa Wemba: Singing for a Brighter Congo (2011) features an original interview with the legendary singer in which he talks about his music, the future of his country’s politics, and the tensions between politicians and artists in Africa. 3 minutes.

Thembo Kash: Cartooning for Justice DRC/Congo (2011) profiles a Congolese illustrator who focuses his work on two themes: the corruption that plagues his country's government and the exploitation of natural resources by foreign corporations. 4 minutes.

Coalition of the Billing: An Interview with Jeremy Scahill (2011) features an exclusive interview with award-winning journalist Jeremy Scahill in which he discusses the growing use of mercenaries by the United States government and the most recent stage of the military-industrial complex's evolution. 4 minutes.

Another Failed Drug War: Poppy Eradication in Afghanistan (2011) takes an on-the-ground look at the issue of opium production in Afghanistan and features interviews with Afghan women who have overcome addiction but who speak to the economic realities that contribute to the persistence of the drug trade. 4 minutes.

Skateistan! (2010) profiles Afghanistan's first co-ed skateboarding school. Founded in 2007 by Oliver Percovich, Skateistan provides girls with the same opportunities that are afforded to boys and offers a safe space in which they can develop a sense of freedom. 3 minutes.

A Day with Lowkey and Shadia Mansour (2010) follows Iraqi rapper Lowkey and Palestinian lyricist Shadia Mansour at a book tour stop, where they discuss Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip, and then to the studio, where they talk about the convergence of their music and political activism. 6 minutes.

The Women's Colloquium in Liberia: Gender Equality in Africa (2010) captures the energy of the 2009 International Colloquium for Women's Empowerment, Leadership Development, International Peace and Security, where 800 female participants gathered to envision a new era of peace and gender equality in Africa and beyond. 3 minutes.

Breaking the Silence: Congo Week (2010) features the work of our ally Friends of the Congo, which strives to support Congolese insitutions working for peace and raise awareness of the ongoing war in the region. 3 minutes.

Hassan Samedi: Cartoons Against Corruption (2010) features a bold political cartoonist demanding freedom of the press in Afghanistan. The film also hears about the consequences he has faced for exercising that freedom. 2 minutes.

A Look at Global Militarism (2010) takes a brief look at what President Eisenhower famously called the "military industral complex." 4 minutes.

Fishing Under Fire (2010) documents the efforts of Gaza fishermen to maintain their livelihood in the face of the harassment and humiliation imposed as part of an unlawful Israeli government blockade. 3 minutes.

Rami Farah: Anti-Occupation Films (2010) features an interview with Syrian documentarian Rami Farah, whose work conveys the lived experience of the Israeli government's occupation of the Golan Heights. 3 minutes.

Gaza Freedom March 2009 (2010) documents the 2009 demonstrations organized by the International Coalition to End the Illegal Siege of Gaza to mark the one-year anniversary of Israel’s attack on the territory. 10 minutes.

Sierra Leone Rising (2010) documents the progress Sierra Leone has made since the end of its brutal civil war and the hope of a new generation for creating a more just society. 13 minutes.

Hands Off Gaza (2010) showcases the New York City hip-hop community's gathering to denounce the Israeli military's three-week assault on Gaza in late-2008 and early-2009. 4 minutes.

Battle for the Xingu (2010) depicts the 2008 Xingu Alive Encounter, one of the largest-ever gatherings of indigenous Brazilians, and highlights the spectacular determination of the Amazon people to protect their way of life. 11 minutes.

Beneath the Borqa in Afghanistan (2002) spotlights the despair on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistan border while capturing the hope and dignity that still define Afghan men, women, and children. 12 minutes.

Architettura (1999) is a series of four short films that highlight the contradictions and complexities of urban life.

An Autumn Wind (1994) highlights the simplicity and grandeur of Japanese gardens and features a clash of realities, told through the dueling haiku poetry of Matsuo Basho and Allen Ginsberg. It screened at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival. 6 minutes.

Prufrock (1991), Iara Lee's first short film, is an experimental film poem based on T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and narrated by Matt Dillon. 4 minutes.